Interesting political rivalry is taking shape in Palamner assembly constituency of Chittoor district. Sitting YSRCP MLA Venkat Gouda has soured relations with Chittoor strongman and minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy. He is now at loggerheads with the minister.

In fact, Venkata Gouda was not even remotely connected with politics. A semi-literate, he began as a mason and slowly grew into a realtor. It was during this time that he came into contact with Peddireddy. For quite some time, he was known as the protégé of Peddireddy. In 2019 elections, he was made the YSRCP candidate as the sitting YSRCP MLA N Amarnath Reddy defected to the TDP to become a minister. Since YSRCP did not have a proper candidate, Peddireddy projected Venkata Gouda. Venkata Gouda won the elections by over 42000 votes

However, after winning the elections, he became confined to only Bengaluru, where his business interests lay. For the last two-and-a-half years, he had focused only on his businesses. In the meantime, Adinarayana Reddy began actively touring the constituency. Even Peddireddy too has begun opposing Gouda.

Realising that things were going out of his hands, Gouda has become active for the last one week. He is touring every nook and corner in his constituency. He is meeting various civil society organisations in a big way and is noting down their complaints and suggestions. He is now trying to neutralise the negative feelings against him. With this Palamner has been experiencing a three-way struggle between Amarnath Reddy, Venkata Gouda and Peddireddy. Let’s wait and see how things unfold in the constituency in the coming days.